Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is an emotionally compelling story that explores the complexities of race, identity, class, and motherhood. Set in the affluent town of Shaker Heights, Ohio in the late 1990s, the novel examines the lives of two mothers and their teenage daughters as they grapple with a heated controversy that threatens to upend their lives and the lives of everyone around them.

The novel follows the lives of Elena Richardson and Mia Warren, two seemingly opposite people who become intertwined in each other’s lives after Mia moves into a rental property from Elena. The story is narrated from alternating perspectives as the alternating characters tell their stories of the events leading up to a major conflict in their lives.

Mia Warren is an artist and single mother with a mysterious past. She is fiercely independent and determined to provide the best life possible for her teenage daughter Pearl. She finds a rental property in Shaker Heights and moves with her daughter, to the surprise and shock of the town’s inhabitants.

Elena Richardson, on the other hand, is a married mother of four with a strong sense of morality. She and her husband, Bill, are both successful lawyers, and their family is well respected within the town. She is appalled when she learns that Mia is renting a property from her, and is determined to establish her role as the good and upright Neighbour.

The tension between the two mothers grows as the children in their families become increasingly involved with each other. Pearl and the Richardson’s youngest daughter, Izzy, become close friends, which leads to a conflict over a Chinese-American baby, May Ling, whom Mia and Pearl finds abandoned outside the local fire station. Rocking the town, an ordeal of court battles ensues as the two families fight to determine who will get custody of the baby. As they battle it out, secrets are revealed, pasts are uncovered, and the two mothers and their families must grapple with the consequences of their decisions.

Throughout this conflict, Ng examines the complexities of motherhood, privilege, race and class. She delves into the experiences of class, and how those with privilege can sometimes be complicit in the inequalities faced by those without it. She also shines a light on racism and its insidious effects, even in a seemingly progressive town like Shaker Heights.

Little Fires Everywhere is a powerful and thought-provoking story that looks at humanity in its many complexities. Through her vivid writing and intelligent exploration of complex moral issues, Ng has created a story that is both emotionally compelling and thought-provoking. It is an absorbing story of secrets and lies that will leave readers pondering their own choices and the consequences of how they play out in their lives.